Haven in Paris

Last year at this time, we were planning our three month stay in Paris. We scrutinized listings, and spent at least a month finding the right place. It was not easy, and we had to weed through a bunch of listings that were most definitely wrong before we settled on an apartment on Rue St. Paul.

Flash forward a year, and we're planning our next winter trip. This time, thanks to Erica of Haven in Paris, we'll spend less time planning where to stay and more time planning what to do.

I first heard of Haven in Paris over at A Cup of Jo. I silently cursed my luck, because I could have saved myself a whole lot of trouble had I known about her gorgeous apartments a year ago! I clicked around the site a bit, and bookmarked my favorites.

I had the pleasure of meeting Erica when we were in Paris in September, and she conveyed a genuine understanding of travelers' needs. She pays attention to detail and it shows. The photos on her site look as if they were lifted from a design blog, not an apartment rental agency. They feel like a home you want to live in.

I've stayed in a few apartments that at first glance were gorgeous: Stunning architecture, great windows, old world charm. But a closer inspection revealed peeling, chipped paint, messy drawers with a smattering of things left from previous guests, old food in the refrigerator, smelly sheets, etc. Those little things added up, and it tainted the experience.

After speaking with Erica, I'm certain I won't run into any of the aforementioned undesirables, and am looking forward to staying in one of her apartments. Now I just have to choose one!

12 comments

Good to know. The apartment we stayed in last month looked fine in pics and the sheets were clean, but everything else was FILTHY. The curtains had a layer of schmutz the likes of which I haven't seen since my early 20's flophouse days.

I have all these fears not for Paris but for Argentina. This March hubby and I are going on a cruise of S. America, but need to find an apartment in Buenos Aires that, as Reno Therapy says, won't be similar to a flophouse.